I’m back from our annual road trip to Martinsville, and despite freezing drizzle all weekend - including an inch of sleet on my car Sunday morning – I’m now in full summer mode. After almost 1800 miles of driving spread over almost 30 hours in 4 days, I had plenty of time to contemplate all things NASCAR as well as the two races… so here it is in the Readers Digest version…
It was sad to see Kyle Petty miss the race. I’m not surprised, but with the Wood Brothers on life support and Morgan-McLure also in a deep coma with a poor prognosis, I was reminded that success (i.e. winning) in NASCAR is a long shot without multiple teams and big dollar sponsors. More on this in another blog, because it deserves some thought… The Kroger 250 Craftsman Truck Race Sunday was filled will all kinds of great stories. Chrissy Wallace, 19 year old daughter of Mike Wallace was impressive in her NCTS debut. She started 35th of 36 and finished 18th and on the lead lap, more importantly she held her on in one of the most physical tracks on the tour. More than once I saw her stand up for her position against veteran drivers. The best story however had to be the day that Dennis Setzer had. He dominated the second half of the race on his way to his third career Martinsville victory while driving the #18 Dodge owned by Lori Hamilton, wife of the late Bobby Hamilton whom Setzer raced for the series championship… Clay Campbell, president of Martinsville Speedway, also owns a part of Setzers team… Brendan Gaughan and Johnny Benson were locked in a duel for second for much of the second half of the race until Gaughan was forced to pit for fuel with 20 laps remaining, almost assuring Benson of a second place finish… almost meaning until Kyle Busch got into him. I have no problem with Kyle’s aggressive driving, providing its at the Cup level. I do have a problem when he goes down to Nationwide or Craftsman races and wrecks guys who are trying to make their living.
Speaking of Clay Campbell, he has to be one of the true gentlemen in all of NASCAR. Despite how busy he was this weekend, he still took time to address the fans and answer questions at the Budweiser Fan Zone (and I’m assuming the other two hospitality tents as well). Campbell and his staff always go out of their way to make you feel like family when you are at the track… while on the topic, it disturbs me that every time Martinsville hosts a race, there is talk of moving one or both dates to a ‘larger’ market. Last year it was David Caraviello while this year it’s Joe Menzer, both of NASCAR.com. I don’t know where this is coming from, but if anyone in Daytona Beach even thinks for a moment about it, it would be the biggest mistake they could make. Moving the Labor Day Southern 500 from Darlington to California was a big enough mistake, even considering moving Martinsville would be a disastrous move for NASCAR. As I have said all along, Martinsville Speedway is one of the few tracks remaining on the circuit that is a throwback to NASCAR’s roots… Incidentally, Joe, if you stopped looking at the restrooms and concessions stands and checked out what was happening on the track, you would have watched one of the best races of the year…On a related note; don’t get too concerned that Sundays Cool Orange 500 was not a sellout. Martinsville Speedway has traditionally relied on a large Sunday walk up crown and keeps several thousand tickets available. Freezing rain with snow in the area kept many away, and while some may not want to admit it, the economy played a factor as well. I compared this weekend with last years trip (adjusted for my side trip to Norfolk Friday night) and noted that I paid almost $70 more for gas for the same number of miles. Two nights hotel was also just over $40 more as well. Whether you think we are in a recession or not, just the fear of impending doom most likely kept peoples money safely tucked under the mattress for a rainy day…
The cream certainly rose to the top Sunday. Jeff Gordon fell to 32nd position after getting caught up in the Aric Almirola/Bobby Labonte wreck; within 100 laps he had picked off just about everyone and was back running up front, finally finishing second. Tony Stewart recovered from an ill timed pit stop (driver error, he stated) to finish 5th, while Jimmy Johnson managed to survive a mid race meeting with Ryan Newman to work his way up a fourth place finish. Is it any wonder that these guys have eight championships between them?... Looks like Hendrick Motorsports isn’t dead yet; all four cars in the top 7… Kudos to Jamie McMurray on his 8th place which moves him back into the top 35 (32nd). Rookie Regan Smith finished a career best 14th which moved him into the top 35, while David Ragan finished a strong 11th. Casey Mears needed a good day and got one, finishing 7th while running top 10 most of the day, while MWR rookie Michael McDowell finished a strong 26th in his Spring Cup debut…. Speaking of McDowell, his drew the ire of veteran Jeff Burton for racing the leaders a bit too hard in the closing laps of the race while trying to protect his Lucky Dog status. Yes, he should have shown some more respect for his elders who were running for the win, but it’s easy to see how he could get caught up in the moment. Like all rookies, he will make plenty of mistakes out there (hence, the yellow tape on the rear bumper), the important thing is that he needs to be a quick learner. Elliot Sadler was a question mark all weekend after a back injury left him in serious pain, NCTS veteran and Kroger 250 race winner Dennis Setzer was on stand by but Sadler took the green flag and ran the entire race, finishing 15th and on the lead lap. I wouldn’t normally mention this; however as someone who has had back pain in the past, I can only imagine just how difficult it was for him. Sadler only needed to take the green flag to get the driver points while letting Setzer jump in the car at the first pit stop, but he showed just how much of a competitor he is by sticking with it. Nice job!
Finally, the chili dog diet that I tried this weekend failed miserably after I stepped on the scale this morning. Final food count: 14 chili dogs (1 Friday at Nathans on the NJ Turnpike, 1 Friday night at the Norfolk Scope arena, 4 Jessie Jones on Saturday afternoon, 2 ‘hots’ at the Texas Tavern in Roanoke, and then 6 more Jessie Jones on Sunday); 2 Bojangles sausage biscuits, 1 steak biscuit, 1 pork chop biscuit, 2 plain biscuits, ‘Cheesy Western Without’ at the Texas Tavern, a BBQ pork sandwich Friday night at the Scope and Sunday in the Budweiser Fan Zone. Yeah, it wasn’t pretty this morning…
It was sad to see Kyle Petty miss the race. I’m not surprised, but with the Wood Brothers on life support and Morgan-McLure also in a deep coma with a poor prognosis, I was reminded that success (i.e. winning) in NASCAR is a long shot without multiple teams and big dollar sponsors. More on this in another blog, because it deserves some thought… The Kroger 250 Craftsman Truck Race Sunday was filled will all kinds of great stories. Chrissy Wallace, 19 year old daughter of Mike Wallace was impressive in her NCTS debut. She started 35th of 36 and finished 18th and on the lead lap, more importantly she held her on in one of the most physical tracks on the tour. More than once I saw her stand up for her position against veteran drivers. The best story however had to be the day that Dennis Setzer had. He dominated the second half of the race on his way to his third career Martinsville victory while driving the #18 Dodge owned by Lori Hamilton, wife of the late Bobby Hamilton whom Setzer raced for the series championship… Clay Campbell, president of Martinsville Speedway, also owns a part of Setzers team… Brendan Gaughan and Johnny Benson were locked in a duel for second for much of the second half of the race until Gaughan was forced to pit for fuel with 20 laps remaining, almost assuring Benson of a second place finish… almost meaning until Kyle Busch got into him. I have no problem with Kyle’s aggressive driving, providing its at the Cup level. I do have a problem when he goes down to Nationwide or Craftsman races and wrecks guys who are trying to make their living.
Speaking of Clay Campbell, he has to be one of the true gentlemen in all of NASCAR. Despite how busy he was this weekend, he still took time to address the fans and answer questions at the Budweiser Fan Zone (and I’m assuming the other two hospitality tents as well). Campbell and his staff always go out of their way to make you feel like family when you are at the track… while on the topic, it disturbs me that every time Martinsville hosts a race, there is talk of moving one or both dates to a ‘larger’ market. Last year it was David Caraviello while this year it’s Joe Menzer, both of NASCAR.com. I don’t know where this is coming from, but if anyone in Daytona Beach even thinks for a moment about it, it would be the biggest mistake they could make. Moving the Labor Day Southern 500 from Darlington to California was a big enough mistake, even considering moving Martinsville would be a disastrous move for NASCAR. As I have said all along, Martinsville Speedway is one of the few tracks remaining on the circuit that is a throwback to NASCAR’s roots… Incidentally, Joe, if you stopped looking at the restrooms and concessions stands and checked out what was happening on the track, you would have watched one of the best races of the year…On a related note; don’t get too concerned that Sundays Cool Orange 500 was not a sellout. Martinsville Speedway has traditionally relied on a large Sunday walk up crown and keeps several thousand tickets available. Freezing rain with snow in the area kept many away, and while some may not want to admit it, the economy played a factor as well. I compared this weekend with last years trip (adjusted for my side trip to Norfolk Friday night) and noted that I paid almost $70 more for gas for the same number of miles. Two nights hotel was also just over $40 more as well. Whether you think we are in a recession or not, just the fear of impending doom most likely kept peoples money safely tucked under the mattress for a rainy day…
The cream certainly rose to the top Sunday. Jeff Gordon fell to 32nd position after getting caught up in the Aric Almirola/Bobby Labonte wreck; within 100 laps he had picked off just about everyone and was back running up front, finally finishing second. Tony Stewart recovered from an ill timed pit stop (driver error, he stated) to finish 5th, while Jimmy Johnson managed to survive a mid race meeting with Ryan Newman to work his way up a fourth place finish. Is it any wonder that these guys have eight championships between them?... Looks like Hendrick Motorsports isn’t dead yet; all four cars in the top 7… Kudos to Jamie McMurray on his 8th place which moves him back into the top 35 (32nd). Rookie Regan Smith finished a career best 14th which moved him into the top 35, while David Ragan finished a strong 11th. Casey Mears needed a good day and got one, finishing 7th while running top 10 most of the day, while MWR rookie Michael McDowell finished a strong 26th in his Spring Cup debut…. Speaking of McDowell, his drew the ire of veteran Jeff Burton for racing the leaders a bit too hard in the closing laps of the race while trying to protect his Lucky Dog status. Yes, he should have shown some more respect for his elders who were running for the win, but it’s easy to see how he could get caught up in the moment. Like all rookies, he will make plenty of mistakes out there (hence, the yellow tape on the rear bumper), the important thing is that he needs to be a quick learner. Elliot Sadler was a question mark all weekend after a back injury left him in serious pain, NCTS veteran and Kroger 250 race winner Dennis Setzer was on stand by but Sadler took the green flag and ran the entire race, finishing 15th and on the lead lap. I wouldn’t normally mention this; however as someone who has had back pain in the past, I can only imagine just how difficult it was for him. Sadler only needed to take the green flag to get the driver points while letting Setzer jump in the car at the first pit stop, but he showed just how much of a competitor he is by sticking with it. Nice job!
Finally, the chili dog diet that I tried this weekend failed miserably after I stepped on the scale this morning. Final food count: 14 chili dogs (1 Friday at Nathans on the NJ Turnpike, 1 Friday night at the Norfolk Scope arena, 4 Jessie Jones on Saturday afternoon, 2 ‘hots’ at the Texas Tavern in Roanoke, and then 6 more Jessie Jones on Sunday); 2 Bojangles sausage biscuits, 1 steak biscuit, 1 pork chop biscuit, 2 plain biscuits, ‘Cheesy Western Without’ at the Texas Tavern, a BBQ pork sandwich Friday night at the Scope and Sunday in the Budweiser Fan Zone. Yeah, it wasn’t pretty this morning…
2 comments:
Wow, thats alot of food. Thanks for having some on behalf of us could not be there in person. Did you take any pictures?
Kendria
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